GET ACTIVE: Be your best self in 2023!

This full article originally appeared in our special GET ACTIVE supplement which is free in this week's Southern Star. Get your copy in shops across West Cork or online via the Southern Star digital edition ➡️ www.southernstar.ie/epaper

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BY AISLING VAUGHAN

NOW that the Christmas and New Year madness is well and truly over, I’m sure a lot of us are wanting to get back to feeling human again by re-establishing a good routine.

We’re looking for the hack that will relieve us from the bloat, to find room in those jeans that have suddenly become a bit snug! We’re giving ourselves the pep talk to get out for the walk whilst we surgically remove the last of the chocolates from our paws.

When we’re feeling a bit worse for wear, it’s understandable that we want to feel better as soon as possible. It’s easy to commit to a diet and exercising like a mad person in a bid to get back on track, especially after an abundance of food and sitting around for a few days.

But as a coach, I’m all too familiar with seeing how this surge of motivation in the New Year might be the very thing that sets you up for failure, especially in the long run. The ‘all or nothing’ approach, you might say.

That’s why I’m sharing some of the things that I teach inside our programme, ‘Ayrie’. Hopefully it will set you up for success and will help you achieve long-term, sustainable results this year.

1. Drop the guilt

If you’ve enjoyed your food over Christmas or maybe went a bit OTT...thats ok! It means you’re a normal human being just like everyone else.

If you can’t do it at Christmas, when can you do it? There’s no point in dwelling about what you ate between Christmas and New Year. Let’s switch our attention to what we could eat between New Year and next Christmas instead!

So let’s drop the guilt – it’s just another thing that will drain our energy and headspace. No one is dead (apart from a few turkeys) so let’s focus our energy on getting back to winning ways.

2. Have the correct expectations

Expecting too much, too soon, in weight-loss and health efforts is one way of setting yourself up for failure. If you implement the quick fix, you’ll see the quick fail.

Guaranteed. Instead of going balls-to-the-wall for the next six weeks and throwing in the towel when you want a social life again, focus on what you can achieve over six months instead.

I get that we all want to see changes, but the time is going to pass anyway regardless. I’d recommend making improvements in a way that is sustainable and lifestyle-based as opposed to weight-loss efforts that are going to be short-lived and have you back to square one a few weeks later.

Ask yourself: ‘can I see myself doing this for the rest of my life?’ If so, you’re onto a winner. If not, you may need to rethink your approach.

3. Be clear on your reason ‘why’

It’s essential to remind yourself of the REAL reasons you’re wanting to self improve. This intrinsic motivation will be the thing that will get you off the couch and out the door on a dark winter’s evening.

Simply saying ‘I want to lose weight’ isn’t going to get you far motivation wise. I always get my clients to ask ‘why’ 4-5 times to uncover their true motivation.

For example: ‘I want to lose 2 stone.’ Why? ‘Because I want to be more confident.’ Why? ‘Because I want to put myself out there and meet a life partner.’ Why? ‘Because I’d like to have children one day.’ BOOM.

All of a sudden, you’ve gone from ‘just wanting to lose weight’ to pursuing one of the most important values you have as a person (in this case, family) and changing your future for the better, forever.

Try this for yourself and remind yourself of your reason why when the armchair and the fire suddenly seem very appealing.

Aisling Vaughan is an award-winning coach and speaker to women who want to improve their health, lifestyle and mindset. See www.ayrie.ie for more details.

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